High speed vehicle wheel and mounting therefor



July 11, 1961 SAKAE MATSUI HIGH SPEED VEHICLE WHEEL AND MOUNTING THEREFOR Filed June 2, 1958 INVENTORZ BY SwKd-C. ,ozwu FMJL Afi'y United States Patent 2,991,729 HIGH SPEED VEHICLE WHEEL AND MOUNTING THEREFOR Sakae Matsui, 8 Mitejima-nishi-Z-chome, Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka City, Japan Filed June 2, 1958, Ser. No. 739,130 Claims priority, application Japan June 15, 1957 '4 Claims. (Cl. 105-224.1)

The present invention pertains to a high-speed railway vehicle which has such special features as attaching wheels on both sides of the bottom of the vehicle not with a long shaft passing through them but with short shafts supporting them separately from each other; putting a soft circular air-tube filled with compressed air into a bearingbox and then inserting a contacting part of the wheelshaft into a space formed by the said circular air-tube; making the edge of the wheel form a U-type circular groove so as to Work as a pair of flanges to hold the rail from both sides when the wheel is put on it; putting a circular elastic material into the circular groove so as to let the exterior of this elastic material keep in touch with the surface of the rail.

The object of the present invention is, on one hand, to let the air pressure of the circular air-tube absorb a force to be given to the wheel from all directions so as to soften a shock to the body of the vehicle by means of attaching each wheel to the body with a separate shaft and holding the contacting part of the wheel-shaft with the circular air-tube in the bearing-box, and on the other hand, to free the vehicle from a fear of derailment or overthrow and lower the floor of the vehicle by means of holding the rail from both sides with a pair of flanges which forms a circular groove at the edge of the wheel. Thus, in respect of a light weight and a high stability, the present invention is quite useful, indeed, for any high-speed railway.

There will now be described a specific embodiment of the invention, which description is to be taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an end elevation view, partly in section, of a railway car with the wheels and mounting means therefor;

FIG. 2 is a partial end elevation view, on an enlarged scale of the wheel and mounting means; and

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view, partly in section, of the wheel and mounting means of FIG. 2.

On the bottom of a railway vehicle A are mounted two mounting means for railway wheels, each of which are substantially the same. Accordingly, the description of only one will suflice for both. The mounting means comprises two bearing boxes 6 one on each side of a wheel, said bearing boxes having annular spaces therein into which are placed inflatable annular pneumatic tubes 4 filled with compressed air. Around the inside a of the pneumatic tubes are metal washers 5 within which are mounted conventional bearings 3, such as roller bearings.

A short shaft 2 is rotably mounted between the two bearings 3 on either side of a wheel, and the shaft 2 has a central radial flange 13 thereon. To each side of the radial flange is bolted a disc b, the discs b each including an inward portion adjacent the shaft and substantially parallel to the inner portion of the other disc, and each disc including an outer portion extending outwardly from N'Ce the inner portion, the outer portions diverging from each other and defining between them a groove 7 having a U-shaped cross section. In the groove 7 is an annulus 8 of elastic material, such as a solid rubber tire. The thickness of the annulus in the radial direction of the annulus is less than the depth of the groove so that when the annulus rides on the rail R the peripheral edges of the discs will extend below the level of the top of the rail. Of course an inflatable tire may also be used. The peripheral edges of the discs are spaced from each other in the direction of the length of the shaft 2 a distance such that they are on either side of a railway rail R.

The shaft 2 for one of the wheels extends inwardly of the railway vehicle and has on the inner end thereof a universal joint 10 which in turn is connected to a motor 11. On the flange 13 of this shaft is bolted a brake drum 9.

In the present invention, as explained above, each wheel is attached to the body with the short shaft independently from the others and the bearing of each wheel-shaft is held by the circular air-tube. Accordingly, a force to be given to the body from all directions can be buifed by means of making the elasticity of the air compressed into the air-tube absorb a shock to the shaft when the vehicle is running, and moreover, the rail is properly held from both sides by a pair of flanges which form a circular groove at the edge of the wheel. Owing to these devices, it becomes possible to avert a derailment-even if one of the wheels may run off the line, there is no fear that the other wheels get derailed and it also becomes possible to lessen the weight of the vehicle remarkably and to lower the floor of the vehicle. Thus, the present invention is quite a useful one which can keep a high stability of the vehicle, prevent a noise to be caused by vibration and fulfil the aim of high-speed railways in spite of its simple structure.

I claim the following as my invention:

1. A wheel and mounting means therefor for a high speed railway vehicle, comprising a pair of bearing boxes, pneumatic bearing mounting means in each of said bearing boxes, bearings in each of said bearing mounting means, a short shaft rotatably mounted between said bearings, two discs mounted adjacent each other on said shaft between said bearings, each disc including an inward portion adjacent the shaft and substantially parallel to the inner portion of the other disc, and each disc including an outer portion extending outwardly from the inner portion, the outer portions diverging from each other and defining between them a groove having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and an elastic annulus in said groove.

2. A wheel and mounting means therefor for a high speed railway vehicle, comprising a pair of bearing boxes having annular spaces therein, an inflatable annular pneumatic tube in each bearing box, bearings in each of said annular tubes, a short shaft rotatably mounted between said bearings, two discs mounted adjacent each other on said shaft between said bearings, each disc including an inward portion adjacent the shaft and substantially parallel to the inner portion of the other disc, and each disc including an outer portion extending outwardly from the inner portion, the outer portions diverging from each other and defining between them a groove having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and an elastic annulus in said groove.

3. A wheel and mounting means as claimed in claim 2 in which the thickness of said elastic annulus in the radial direction of the annulus is less than the depth of the groove, whereby when the annulus rides on'a rail the outer edges of the discs extend below the level of the top of the rail.

4. A wheel for a high speed railway vehicle, comprising two discs mounted adjacent each other, each disc including an inward portion substantially parallel to the inward portion of the other disc, and each disc including an outer portion extending outwardly from the inner portion, the outer portions diverging from each other and defining between them a groove having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and an elastic annulus hav- 4 ing a circular cross section in said groove, the thickness of said annulus in the radial direction of the annulus being less than the depth of the groove, whereby when the annulus rides on a rail the outer edges of said discs will extend below the level of the top of the rail.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,149,122 McCall Feb. 28, 1939 2,620,742 Watter Dec. 9, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 844,836 France Aug. 2, 1939 513,947 Germany Dec. 6, 1930 171,560 Switzerland Aug. 31, 1934 

